Pew: 35% of American Adults Have Smartphones

In its first study on the topic, the Pew Research Center found 35% of American adults own some kind of smartphone, and among adult mobile users that figure rises to 42%. A recent Nielsen estimate said 37% of U.S. mobile users over the age of 13 now have smartphones.
Nearly all (87%) smartphone users access the Internet and email, and 68% on a typical day. One-quarter mostly go online using their phone rather than a PC, according to the Pew survey of 2,277 people conducted April 26 to May 22.

The Pew survey suggested people who are college-educated, affluent and under 45 are more likely to own smartphones. Ethnic minorities are also more apt to be in that group, with 44% of blacks and Latinos using smartphones compared to 30% of whites.

Urban and suburban residents are roughly twice as likely to have a smartphone as those living in rural areas. More than half of households (59%) earning $75,000 or more are smartphone owners. And in terms of gender, 39% of men surveyed had a smartphone compared to 31% of women.   Read more